


Beneath Her Branches

by the_albatross



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, F/F, Fluff, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythology References, Nymphs & Dryads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 05:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18176168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_albatross/pseuds/the_albatross
Summary: A nymph is stirred from her long sleep to find her wooded home gone and her tree one of the few that still remain standing in the new park. Although it very different scenery than what she was used to, there's still something in her new surroundings that manages to catch her eye.





	Beneath Her Branches

**Author's Note:**

> So I just want to start this off by saying that I'm not giving up on writing, not by a long shot. However, I think there's going to be longer breaks between my postings for the next few weeks. I'm not sure how much/how many stories will be affected by this but its more of a heads up for you guys. Around a month ago I had a schedule set up for myself where I'd be posting every 2 to 3 weeks but that was when I was actively working on stories. Right now its a little hard due to various stressors that have developed in my life. Because of all that I haven't had much motivation to write during the times when I know I could be productive and its getting very frustrating. But I know if I try to write any way it'll either come out like crap and I'd rewrite it later or I'd burn myself out. So for now I'm just working on little pieces when the motivation does hit me. Right now the Shinkx date is probably 40% and I have nothing else started aside from just ideas for other stories. To put this in perspective, usually I have between 2-4 drafts of various stories that I'm working on at a time. So for now I'm just gonna take it slow, work when I can, and post when I feel its ready, but its probably going to be another 3 weeks or so before something new is posted.

She wasn't sure why one particular human caught her attention in the first place. So many people passed by her tree every day; some she saw only once while others would reappear more frequently. Being mostly immortal, she's seen a lot of them walking by or sitting beneath her branches during her lifetime. They hardly warranted any special attention. In fact most of the time she just slept inside her cozy little home. It was tiring living in this state sometimes. It was like having multiple eyes that could see everything around her yet she was powerless to interact with it all. Not that she particularly wanted to...There was no reason to. Human's lives were so short...Why get attached?

It was easier just to fall asleep and only wake up when the noise around her became too loud to ignore. Over her life there had been sporadic bursts of activity but hardly any of it seemed to last more than a few years. Often times it was people traveling through the area on their way to a more distant land or they just needed somewhere to rest for the night. One time a family had built their home not too far from the woods her tree stood in and she would occasionally find their children playing amongst her branches. But in an instant they were gone and within a few decades the final remnants of the house had fallen to pieces as well. After that it quiet and all too familiar to return to a deep slumber. Then like a growing rumble she heard the activity picking up again. At first she solidly refused to wake up, strongly believing they would move on before too long but after a few years the noise utterly refused to die down and slowly she was aroused into a wakeful state once more.

She was very much disturbed when she opened her eyes to find that wooded area she loved so much was no longer in sight. Instead there were rolling plains of grass as far as she could see, a stark contrast to the formerly leaf-littered forest floor she grown accustomed to. Only a few other trees remained in the area, scattered throughout the "protected" space that had come to be known as a "park". Most of her friends, if you could call them that, were long gone. After their trees were stripped away there was no reason for them to stay around.

They moved on to find new homes somewhere else far away from human activity.

It was a trend all too familiar with nymphs nowadays. The humans that had moved into their land needed to make homes so they would cut down the nymph's trees for lumber or tinder. That had been fine at first, there was an abundance of trees to go around but as the humans' population increased, the available homes for the nymphs steadily declined.

She had been lucky; her home had never been touched in all the time she lived there. It still stood in exactly the same spot as it had when it first sprouted all those centuries ago. But the same couldn't be said for most of her neighbors.

She never really noticed how alone she was until most everyone was gone. Though other nymphs still continued to live in this area, they were few and far between. She wondered if she should move on as well but nothing was threatening her home at the moment so would it even be worth it to try? She wasn't even entirely sure how she could detach herself from her tree. No one had ever explained it before and she never tried more than twice with very little success.

So for now she let things be and remained at peace. It was noisier, sure, but as long as the tree was safe, how much could she complain?

The humans that she saw now were so varied; so many different shapes, sizes and colors. Some bright and vibrant, others dull and muted. It was fascinating. But none ever really captured her interest for very long. It was rare for her to see the same one more than a handful of times...until one day there came a woman who was different. The nymph swore she had seen this person before but perhaps she was imagining it. The long hair was certainly a striking feature; it shone like sunlight as it floated with the light breeze that passed through the busy park. Her body was long and lean like a young tree but it still seemed to contain a hidden strength...And her laughter...it echoed throughout the open space so much that other humans would turn to find the source as soon as they heard it.

That was what caught the nymph's attention more than once.

Usually the laughter was elicited while she was with her companions. There were many the nymph came to recognize as the young woman's friends but only a few would repeatedly walk along the paved paths with her. One was more frequently spotted than others. Blonde as well with even fairer skin; she seemed to make the bubbly young woman smile more easily than the others, even convince her to lower her guard more readily. The pair would loiter in the area longer than anyone else in the hopes that they could could make that moment last just a second more.

A few times the pair even laid beneath her tree's branches as they chatted away or ate a small meal. Occasionally they would share a kiss that seemed to linger in a way that made the nymph long to be able to touch something solid herself.

They just looked so happy...At least for awhile.

The nymph wasn't sure how long it had been since she first took notice of them.

Years?

A few months?

Or perhaps only a few weeks...Regardless, that bliss was eventually broken. Previously the two seemed inseparable but more often it became just the younger woman, 'Alaska' as she heard her being called, walking around on her own. She seemed content enough to be alone but the nymph couldn't help but to wonder why she had become so solitary all of a sudden.

There was a long absence of the other woman but one day she was finally back at Alaska's side as they sat on a nearby bench. There was still something off when compared to the last time she saw them together; they never seemed to sit as close together any more nor hold hands as often but it was nice to see Alaska happy once again. The nymph supposed they were no longer pair-bonded anymore but it was a relief they could still enjoy each other's company. So many other humans seemed incapable of spending time with one another after they had separated but thankfully these two were quite different.

The nymph loved seeing Alaska smile.

She felt quite honored that this young woman seemed to have chosen her tree as her favorite spot in the park. Whether it be with friends or by herself, more often than not she'd come to rest here and either sit against the tree itself or somewhere else very close by. In the summer months she would read beneath the branches or relax in the shade. In the winter she'd sit on the bench if it had cleared from snow or just lean against the tree's side as she stood and watched all of the other visitors to the park pass by.

It was a peaceful and tranquil life. One the nymph was happy to experience even if the absence of her companion raised a sense of longing and misery she had never known before.

The only thing she wished she could change was the fact she was unable to interact with Alaska even in the tiniest way. The woman was no more aware of her existence than she was of any other invisible being living in the park. The nymph longed just to be able to feel the warmth from Alaska's skin as she touched the tree's bark or feel her body vibrating as she clutched one of the lower branches for support while she shook with laughter...Or even just to talk to her once and thank her for being such an unknowing but faithful friend all this time. The brief moments where their lives intersected meant the world to the nymph and she would gladly trade all of the magic she possessed just to relive those moments once more.

Her life had somehow become more fulfilling since the day Alaska first came to sit by her side and spend a few hours of her life watching the world from their secluded spot by the hill.

******

Seasons passed by in the blink of an eye but the nymph could always count on Alaska to return back to this spot. Winter was the hardest for her; the cold would drive Alaska away for weeks on end but once the weather began to warm up, Alaska would come bouncing down the pathway once more with a book in tow the cycle would begin again.

On one particular afternoon in late spring, their routine began just as it would any other day. Alaska had arrived sometime around noon and read quietly as she leant against the trunk of the tree. The nymph was watching over her as always; studying the way her eyes would grow soft as she read certain passages, listened as she laughed quietly to herself like she hadn't read this book several times over already.

The nymph was content to live in this moment forever.

But as the blue sky began grow grey and overcast, Alaska decided to pack up her belongings about mid-afternoon. As she returned everything to her bag, a passing jogger shouted up a friendly warning towards her, "You might want to head home soon; its gonna start raining in a few minutes!"

"Thanks," she called back cheerfully, "I was just about to leave right now!"

With that the jogger gave her a quick nod of the head and continued down the path towards the park's entrance. Alaska must have been distracted by the interruption because she hadn't noticed her book still laying against the tree's roots as she slung her bag over her shoulder and started to make her way back onto the paved walkway.

A moment of panic seized the nymph as she realized the mistake. That book was certainly one of Alaska's favorites considering how many times she'd seen her reading it from cover to cover. If it were left out in the coming storm it likely wouldn't survive the onslaught of rain...But Alaska was unaware that it was missing from her bag. She still strolled happily down the gentle hill without a care in world.

Using every ounce of strength she could muster, the nymph struggled to break free from her tree if only for a few seconds. It felt like she was uprooting her very home yet she knew the tree had not budged even an inch. There was a horrifying moment where she wondered if all of her effort was even working or if she would be quick enough to catch Alaska's attention but then like a sudden moment of clarity she felt a freedom she had never experienced before. With a surprisingly loud and melodic voice she called out in alarm, "Wait! Alaska!"

The young woman spun around in confusion and almost instantly her jaw dropped in wonder. She took a step back to balance herself but after that she seemed to remain frozen to her spot on the ground. The nymph wondered what she might look like; she knew the lower half of her body was still contained within the tree but the upper half as she broke free seemed to be almost human in shape. When she looked down through her newly limited eyesight, she saw that she had the same hands as humans do; her new skin was a light brown and almost matching the color of her younger branches. But as to what her face must look like, she had no clue. At least she didn't seem to be too terrifying to look at as Alaska wasn't inclined to scream in fright. If anything she just seemed to be in a state of shock at the scene unfolding before her.

Hurriedly picking up the book, the nymph tore herself entirely from the tree and rushed over to the shell-shocked woman.

"You forgot this," she explained urgently.

"Thanks..." Alaska replied in a small, stunned voice as her eyes raked over the now flesh and blood creature that had suddenly emerged from the tree she had only moments ago sat under. Her cheeks were beginning to burn a bright red but she felt helpless to look anywhere else even as she accepted the paperback being held out to her.

The nymph knew she ought to try and reconnect herself with her home as quickly as possible but now that she finally had the chance, she just couldn't let it slip from her grasp. She had no clue how long this form would last but she had to tell Alaska something before the opportunity was gone. Gently clasping Alaska's free hand between her own, the nymph stated with absolute adoration, "Thank _you_."

"Um...for what?" the blonde asked in confusion.

"I've seen you sitting here so many times," the nymph admitted softly, "I've seen more of your life than what you'd probably want anyone to see but...So many people have passed through here over the years without even looking at my tree but you...you noticed me."

Taking a step closer, the nymph felt her face heating up but to her relief Alaska didn't try to withdraw or move away. The thought never seemed to cross her mind as she stared up with innocent doe-eyes to the creature hovering so close to her in a way few others had.

Continuing on, the nymph explained, "You've stopped and sat next to me. You've laid against my trunk as you read your book and slept beneath my branches when the heat of the summer sun became too much...For so long I've stood here silently, watching as other beings like me have been torn away from their homes and forced to move on. I considered following the same path more than once but when I saw you...you helped to push that thought out of my mind."

Carefully cupping the young woman's cheek, the nymph stated gratefully, "In all the time I've seen you here, you've never tried to invade nature like it owed you something. You simply dwelled in it and appreciated it for what it was; something beautiful and free. I've never gotten the chance to speak like this before to anyone but I've wanted to say this to you for the longest time. I've wanted to thank you for choosing to spend time here and for letting me say...'Hi, I'm Raja...and thank you for seeing me...even before you knew I was here.'"

**Author's Note:**

> Where I ended this story was right where I pictured it when I first came up with the concept, however when I was done I started thinking about writing a second part but in light of recent events I'm trying to reaffirm to myself that just because I have an idea, it doesn't mean I have to write it. I might at some point but I doubt it. Still though, I wanted to share the basic plot:  
> The very next thing Alaska would have said after listening to Raja speak would have been an incredibly embarrassed "You're not...wearing anything."  
> Following that, Raja would slip back into her tree but it wouldn't be the last time they speak. From that day on Alaska would visit and they talk through the tree. Eventually Raja would become skilled enough to separate herself from the tree for minutes, then hours, then days and so on. All while wearing clothing provided by Alaska because a naked woman is bound to draw a lot of attention. Over time they would become closer and closer until one day Raja realizes that Alaska has been aging while she has not. This is where the story would split into a 'Choose your ending' situation. Option A - Raja would leave Alaska for a short while to talk the elder gods and nymphs. After some arguments and persuasions, they'd agree to allow Alaska to become one of them. Raja would then return to Alaska and present her with the choice. Of course Alaska accepts and they live happily as semi-immortal beings.
> 
> Option B - Raja becomes human and they live out their mortal lives together.
> 
> Option C - They continue to live together until the day Alaska dies, Raja is heartbroken and within a few minutes the other mythological beings that had been watching them throughout the years consent to allow Raja to die along with her partner but as a reward for having such a faithful love, the beings transform the two either into a single tree to continue living together or they place them among the stars as a new constellation.


End file.
